San Diego Teens Target Vacant Homes for Sale for Illegal Parties—and They’re Charging a Cover

Teenagers have been throwing illegal parties in vacant houses in San Diego County, CA.

A new investigation by NBC7 discovered that at least six of these bashes were held inside local homes listed for sale or rent since August, and that five happened within the span of 32 days.

Many of these homes—in a county where the median listing price is a steep $899,999—suffered thousands of dollars in damages.

In some of these houses, teenagers set off fireworks and knocked holes in the walls.

Teenagers advertise these parties on social media and often charge a cover at the door.

The addresses are revealed in secret group chats, and they descend upon vacant properties in droves.

Sellers and real estate agents affected

San Diego real estate agent Vanessa Munoz tells Realtor.com® that after an illegal party was thrown at one of her San Diego listings, there was $7,000 in damages.

"I was shocked," she says. "I work a lot of listings and have had some squatters here and there, but never have I ever in my 11 years in this business had parties being thrown."

Munoz says the partygoers set off fireworks in one of the bedrooms, leaving burn marks on the walls.

"There was a fight in one of the rooms, and there were holes in the walls," she recalls. The house was in escrow at the time.

"We were supposed to be closing in the next few days," she says. "The homeowner was obviously very upset."

Real estate agent Karla Vidrio told NBC7 about a recent party thrown at one of her vacant listings on Jan. 30.

“There were more than 30 people inside and about 20 people outside waiting to pay their cover of $10 to come in," Vidrio told the TV station. "They were high school kids. Definitely high school kids. Very young.”

Police have a hard time making arrests

San Diego Police Lt. Cesar Jimenez told NBC7 he's seen flyers for these illegal parties.

“They're saying, ‘Hey, party at this house, $10 cover at the door,' and so they're making money,” said Jimenez. “Once they get in to access the house, they charge people at the door. They'll have a security person there. They'll have a DJ or something like that.”

Jimenez told NBC7 that the people throwing these parties are going to open houses to see which houses are empty.

It's "like a burglar would stake out a house,” he said.

"Security concerns are real, and not every seller wants an open house because of it," California real estate agent Cara Ameer, with Coldwell Banker, tells Realtor.com.

Jimenez said that the department is aware of 15 to 20 of the illegal vacant house parties across the county in the past year—but admitted that identifying the person or people throwing the party can be very difficult, so arrests aren’t so simple.

Although deputies arrived quickly on the scene of the party at Vidrio's listing, no one was cited or arrested.

“Like the deputy said, they can't really do anything,” Vidrio told NBC7. “They can't even arrest them because they don't know who started it. But in my mind, I'm like, 'Well, it doesn't matter, right?’ I mean, if you're here and you know that you're in here illegally, shouldn't you still be prosecuted?”

Real estate agents are on high alert

Munoz said she’s now spreading the word to other real estate agents.

"I have now helped save three homes from being destroyed," she says. "Every time I see an illegal party listed on social media, I reach out to the Realtor®, even if it's 11 p.m."

She says extra precautions and security measures should always be taken, especially when a property is vacant.

"Preventing parties in a vacant home comes down to removing the vibe that it’s an unmonitored space. I recommend installing a few battery-powered, cloud-based cameras like an Arlo or Ring at the primary entry points and the backyard," Matthew Bent, manager at Lappen Security, tells Realtor.com.

Bent says they'll ping your phone the second someone steps onto the property.

"Being able to use the two-way audio to tell the first two people who show up that the police have been called is usually enough to shut down a party before it actually starts," he says.

Attorney Chad Cummings tells Realtor.com that homeowners can be liable if trespassers harm themselves on their property.

"Treat a listed vacant home as a liability, not an asset," he says. "Once neighbors report teens entering, a plaintiff attorney will argue you had notice and you failed to act. In California and many other states, owners can face premises liability claims even from trespassers if a hazard plus foreseeability exists, and pools, balconies, roofs, and unsecured stairwells create easy money for plaintiffs' attorneys. Expect allegations of negligent security, failure to warn, nuisance, and negligent maintenance after an injury, overdose, fall, fire, or drowning."